USA’s Coco Gauff prepares to enter the court for the WTA Rome Open tennis tournament final against Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina at Foro Italico in Rome on May 16, 2026. (Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP)
Coco Gauff is keen to sidestep any pressure that may include starting Roland Garros because the defending women’s champion as she returns to the location of her most consistent Grand Slam success.
“Last 12 months looks like ten years ago,” the American said at media day on Friday.
Gauff comes into the tournament seeded fourth, fresh from reaching the Rome final on clay where she lost to Elina Svitolina.
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At 22, she is about to play her seventh French Open.
She won her first Grand Slam on the US Open in 2023, but Roland Garros is where she has shone most consistently. She has reached the last eight in each of her last five appearances within the French capital, including winning the tournament in 2025.
She wants that record to be a source of strength moderately than expectation.
“Every time I come to this tournament, I don’t even take into consideration my past results here,” she said.
“I do know I play well here. Even when I’m not doing my best within the match, I do know I can find that level simply because of my history here, but it surely’s also something I’m not serious about, entering the match.”
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Gauff’s result swings have lots to do along with her erratic serve. She leads the WTA with 208 double faults this 12 months. Mirra Andreeva, who has played five more matches, is a distant second with 145.
Gauff said her run to the Italian Open final was right down to higher serving.
“My average in Rome was 4 in double faults,” she said. “I can try this. For me it’s significantly better than last 12 months.”
After breaking through at Wimbledon as a 15-year-old, Gauff has done her growing up in public eye and said the experience has been largely positive.
“Sometimes you get some perks and stuff, like people recognize you,” she said.
“The worst is you make mistakes while you grow up, so all of your mistakes are shown. But I also think it’s not a nasty thing, because possibly another people can see themselves in me and realise we’re not all perfect. We’ve all got to learn.”
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Gauff said she has worked at learning about herself.
“I actually have a therapist that I actually have been going to for a very long time,” she said, adding that she kept a journal and, most of all, tried to not be negative.
“I could be an excessive amount of of a perfectionist,” she said.
“After I’m playing the matches, I just wish to win literally every point in probably the most perfect way.
“Obviously, it just doesn’t at all times occur for me like that every one the time,” she said. “I can see where I need to be, and I need to be there so bad, but just trying now to deal with the method and the ups and downs of the journey of tennis. It’s something that I can hone in on and do well at times, and other times I cannot accomplish that well with it.”
She said that she was happy with the mindset she showed in her Rome run.
“I’m winning these matches lots on just mental fight and stuff,” she said, adding: “I do feel like I’m a greater player than I used to be last 12 months.”
Gauff opens her title defence in Paris against compatriot Taylor Townsend.